March 08, 2023
Africa: Disputes Over Covid's Origins Reveal an Intelligence Community in Disarray. Here Are 4 Fixes We Need Before the Next Pandemic
A recent Wall Street Journal article reported on new, classified intelligence from the US Department of Energy about the origins of COVID. It concluded with "low confidence" that… Read more »
March 07, 2023
Kenya: A New Invasive Mosquito Has Been Found in Kenya - What This Means for Malaria Control
The Kenya Medical Research Institute recently detected an invasive mosquito species in Laisamis and Saku subcounties of Marsabit county in Kenya's northern region. Read more »
Africa: Africa's Shift to Low-Cost Manufacturing Puts Women At Risk
Economists have urged African countries to shift to low-cost manufacturing - the path that led countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan - to industrial… Read more »
Africa: Militant Islamist Violence in Africa Surges - Deaths Up Nearly 50%, Events Up 22% in a Year
Militant Islamist violence in Africa set new records for violent events and fatalities this past year. This continues a relentless decade-long upward trend. To give a sense of the… Read more »
Africa: Long Covid Linked to Air Pollution Exposure in Young Adults - New Study
Although COVID-19 infections are typically less severe in young adults, that doesn't mean they aren't still at risk of complications from COVID-19. For example, around one in 25… Read more »
Africa: The Pandemic Exposed Gender Inequality - Let's Seize the Opportunity to Remedy It
This year, we are commemorating International Women's Day alongside the three-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more »
South Africa: Sex, Intimacy and Black Middle-Class Christianity in South Africa - a Difficult History
A new book, Convening Black Intimacy, explores the history of Christianity, gender and precolonial marriage and sex traditions in South Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s. To… Read more »
March 06, 2023
Africa: Teachers Change Lives - But What Makes a Great Teacher?
Excellent teachers can change our lives. Researchers have shown that good teachers encourage us to think critically, reflect and learn across disciplines. These are all skills that… Read more »
Ghana: Bipolar Disorder Is Poorly Understood in Ghana - Knowing the Facts Can Help Prevent Suffering
Attitudes to mental health conditions are often influenced by matters of awareness and belief systems. Bipolar disorder is one of the conditions that's frequently misunderstood and… Read more »
Africa: Children and Teenagers Can Carry Out Valuable Wildlife Research - Here's How
The environment is in crisis. Young people are calling for environmental action and requesting more education about the environment and the climate emergency. They are also looking… Read more »
Africa: Curious Kids - Who Was the First Celebrity?
Who was the first celebrity? - Grace, aged eight, Belfast, Northern Ireland Read more »
South Africa: The Real Johannesburg - 6 Powerful Photos From a Gritty New Book On the City
Wake Up, This is Joburg is a collaboration between photographer Mark Lewis and urban planner and writer Tanya Zack. Striking images and beautiful texts follow 10 stories the team… Read more »
March 05, 2023
South Africa: LGBTIQ+ Migrants and Asylum Seekers - Major New Study Identifies a Diverse, Wide-Spread Community
Since 1998, South Africa has recognised persecution based on gender and sexuality as legitimate grounds for asylum. This makes it the only African country to formally extend… Read more »
Africa: Who Is Joseph Kony? the Altar Boy Who Became Africa's Most Wanted Man
Eleven years ago, a documentary catapulted the name Joseph Kony onto the global stage. The controversial film Kony 2012 told the story of a Ugandan warlord whose forces are… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria Needs to Take Science More Seriously - an Agenda for the New President
Nigerians voted to elect a new president on 25 February and he will be sworn in on 29 May 2023. One of his responsibilities must be to lead the country in taking science more… Read more »
March 03, 2023
South Africa: More Foods Being Exported But New Growth Frontiers Needed
South African agricultural exports were up for the third consecutive year in 2022, reflecting favourable production conditions and higher commodity prices. The export numbers for… Read more »
South Africa: Tabloid Newspapers Are Seen As Sensationalist - but South Africa's Daily Sun Flipped That Script During Covid-19
Tabloid journalism usually refers to short, easily readable and mostly human-interest news, presented in a highly visual and sensationalist style. "Tabloidisation" has become… Read more »
March 02, 2023
Africa: Why Prey Animals Often See Threats Where There Are None - and How It Costs Them
For a nervous horror fan, an evening watching HBO's hit post-apocalyptic television show The Last of Us might be followed by a restless night under the duvet. The silhouette of a… Read more »
Chad: The Lake Chad Basin Is a Security Nightmare - 5 Guidelines for Finding Solutions
It is now 14 years since Boko Haram and other armed groups began to operate in the Lake Chad Basin. The region, which includes Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, has become… Read more »
South Africa: Roads and Power Lines Put Primates in Danger - South African Data Adds to the Real Picture
About 25 million kilometres of new roads are expected to be built around the world by 2050. Along with power lines and railways, roads cut through the landscape everywhere,… Read more »
Egypt: Five Discoveries That Changed Our Understanding of How the Ancient Egyptians Created Mummies
Centuries after the first golden coffins were taken to Europe, ancient Egyptian mummies still vividly capture people's imaginations. Perhaps we're awed by the grandeur of their… Read more »
Nigeria: Election Was Nearly Derailed By Technology - but Biometric Devices Weren't the Problem
Technology nearly derailed the conclusion of the 2023 presidential elections in Nigeria. The Independent National Electoral Commission could not fulfil its promise to transmit… Read more »
March 01, 2023
Africa: High-Tech Replacements Aren't Really 'Resurrecting' Endagered Species
It's no secret that human activities have put many of this planet's inhabitants in danger. Extinctions are happening at a dramatically faster rate than they have over the past tens… Read more »
Africa: Oil and Gas Companies Are Seen As Climate Villains. Truth Is, We'll Need Their Expertise to Make Green Hydrogen a Reality
Think about oil and gas companies and climate change and chances are you'll think dark thoughts. It's true Exxon Mobil had remarkably detailed knowledge of global warming in the… Read more »
Africa: How SpaceX's New Internet Service Could Be a Gamechanger in Africa
It's hard for many of us to imagine a world without instant, limitless internet access. Some have even argued that it should, alongside access to clean water and electricity, be… Read more »